Victory for Ibtidai Madrasah teachers as government promises nationalization

The government has promised to gradually nationalize all independent Ibtidai Madrasas across the country, leading to the withdrawal of protests from their teachers.

This announcement was made by Masudul Haque, the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Education, during a briefing on Tuesday. 

Haque confirmed that the government would begin the process of nationalizing these madrasas and assured that the implementation of other demands from the teachers would begin this year.

The teachers had long been advocating for various improvements, including the approval of pre-primary classes in independent Ibtidai Madrasas, similar to primary schools, as well as the appointment of more teachers. 

Following the government’s commitment to addressing these issues, the teachers decided to end their protest. Some teachers, overcome with emotion, expressed their gratitude, with a few even shedding tears.

However, the teachers have warned that if the government fails to fully meet their demands by June this year, they will resume protests with more intense actions starting from July 1. 

This warning comes after the teachers had previously issued a 24-hour ultimatum demanding nationalization of the independent Ibtidai Madrasas. The teachers had also threatened to besiege the Ministry of Home Affairs if their demands were not met within the given time frame.

On Monday, during a protest at Shahbagh in Dhaka, Professor Ruhul Amin from Dhaka University’s Department of International Relations, representing the teachers, reiterated the ultimatum. 

"Why were tear gas and sound grenades used against helpless teachers? After August 5, tear gas was banned. Within the next 10 hours, the Home Affairs Advisor must explain why this baton charge happened. If not, Shahbagh Police Station will be besieged. After that, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Secretariat will be besieged," he said.

Professor Amin further questioned, 

"Did legal advisor Asif Nazirul, Home Affairs Advisor, and the Chief Advisor not see this baton charge? How did the police carry out this baton charge?"

Meanwhile, Hafiz Maulana Abdul Hannan Hossain, Joint Convener of the Movement’s Implementation Committee, spoke to the media, saying,

"Yesterday (Sunday), a high-level team from the government met with us. They said a decision would come from the ministry today. We are carrying out our protest program peacefully. If the ministry does not resolve the issue today, there may be a call for a larger movement in the future."

This protest followed a march by Ibtidai teachers in Shahbagh, where they demanded nationalization of the madrasas and six other key points.

During the march, the police used sound grenades and baton charges, injuring several teachers.

The six demands of the Ibtidai teachers include:

1. Repeal of the suspension order of independent Ibtidai Madrasa registration in 2008.
2. Inclusion of registered, code-less madrasas by the board with a code number.
3. A separate policy for independent Ibtidai Madrasas.
4. Approval of teaching permissions, recognition, salary-allowance, and policy for 2025.
5. Appointment of office assistants, similar to primary schools.
6. Permission to open pre-primary classes in independent Ibtidai Madrasas, similar to primary schools.

With the government‍‍`s promise to address these issues, the teachers are now hopeful that their long-standing demands will soon be met, marking a new chapter for independent Ibtidai Madrasas in Bangladesh.